Citing COVID-19 and floods, EC defers LS, state bypolls scheduled up to Sept 7

The COVID-19 situation has cast a shadow on the upcoming Assembly polls in Bihar

election commission Representational image | Election Commission official website

The Election Commission on Thursday announced the deferment of bypolls to vacant Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in different parts of the country that were scheduled to be held by September 7. The bypolls have been postponed on account of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic and the flood situation in certain areas.

One Parliamentary constituency and seven Assembly seats had been due to hold bypolls by September 7. Seven of the bypolls had been necessitated by the deaths of the sitting legislators, while in Tundla constituency in Uttar Pradesh, the MLA was elected to Parliament.

These constituencies were Valmiki Nagar Parliamentary seat in Bihar, Sibsagar Assembly seat in Assam, Assembly constituencies of Gudiyattam and Thiruvottiyur in Tamil Nadu, Agar Assembly seat in Madhya Pradesh, Bulandshahr and Tundla Assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh and Chavara Assembly constituency in Kerala.

The continuing COVID-19 situation has cast a shadow on the upcoming Assembly polls in Bihar, widely considered the most important electoral event in the country this year. Political parties had been calling for deferment of the polls in Bihar.